Notice Me
by veamgee
Summary: Nothing could beat getting the attention of someone by bumping into their car's back windshield. Literally. Now, if only Yumi could gather the courage to ask the girl out, life would surely be perfect.


"Yumi… wake up… or you'll be late for work… Yumi…"

A grumble leaves my lips as the familiar male voice tries another attempt—note, shake my entire body—to wake me up from my peaceful slumber. I roll over to my other side, opposite to the one where the stranger stands at. _Ha, you better try harder than that, stranger!_

The stranger groans exasperatedly. "Yumi, I know you're awake. That smirk kinda blows your cover off." I can feel said smirk morph into a frown at the truthfulness of his words. "Yumi, come on. Don't make me pour water on your face," the voice threatens.

My frown slants deeper. I snuggle into the softness of my pillow before grumbling out a muffled, "You wouldn't dare…" Although, I'm not too sure if the stranger can distinguish and understand what I just said.

"Oh, I would love to…" Rustling noises echo in the silence of my room.

As soon as those words are out, I feel something cold and wet hit my head. My brows furrow in confusion. _What was that?_ "You better not be spitting on my face," I mutter darkly, murderous thoughts running through my head.

Apparently, spit is the least of my worries and before I knew it, my head is completely drenched by cold water. Jolting up and sleepiness absolutely gone from my being, I stare daggers at my laughing brother. With gritted teeth, I say, "You are so dead."

His laughter pauses midway before he stares at me with wide fearful brown eyes. "Uh," he stammers out; a devilish grin spreads across my lips. He gulps as his nervousness is evident in his stance. He offers me a shaky smile before he mutters a quick, "I better go check on those pancakes… See you at the dining table, Nee-chan!" With that said, he sprints out of my room like a bat out of a cave.

_It_ _sorta does too_… A satisfied feeling dwells within me which quickly turns into annoyance as soon as I realize I have to leave the confines of my comfortable bed anytime now to start the day. _And go to work_, my mind adds. I let out a groan then a contented sigh upon feeling my passive muscles relaxing and awaken after stretching.

Getting out my mattress, I quickly make my way towards my dressers and pull out my needed clothing for the day: undies, a simple plain white V-necked shirt, a brown sweater and comfortable ripped jeans. It's not much but why should I dress extravagantly to work? With said articles in one hand, I grab my towel and dart towards the bathroom.

A quick shower later and now adorned in my work clothes, I make my way towards the place where the sound of my brother's humming originates—the kitchen. My mouth drools as soon as the delicious smell of eggs and bacon fills my senses.

Swiftly taking a seat, I grin broadly as soon as Yuuki sets a plate in front of me. "_Itadakimasu_~!" I bellow merrily before devouring my food.

"Geez, Yumi, slow down before you choke on your food," my brother admonishes gently with a shake of his head before he sets his own plate of food on the counter, takes a seat then proceeds to eat with so much care I would have laughed if I could.

Unfortunately for me, I start choking when a particularly medium-sized piece makes contact with my throat. My arms flail and I can feel my eyes widening before watering. I pleadingly look at my unamused brother.

He shakes his head but I notice a small smirk on his lips—_traitor_!—as he stands up and retrieves a glass of water for me. All in one slow teasing manner. _Double traitor_, my mind screams; I internally agree. He chuckles at my glare, sticks his tongue out at me before finally handing me my water.

I chug the drink in one go. After inhaling deeply, I point at him accusingly, "I could have died!"

He laughs heartily, shrugs then sarcastically says, "But you didn't, right? So, all is well."

I roll my eyes. "Stupid, annoying, good for nothing—"

My muttering is cut off when Yuuki squeaks an indignant and rather defensive, "Hey! I am none of those things, thank you very much!" He then proceeds to cross his arms and huffs, pouting as he turns his head away from me in an offended manner.

I smile at his childishness. _At least he's fine now_. When that thought crosses my mind, my happy mood dulls a bit. _Mother… Father, how we miss you so_. Before dark thoughts can consume my mind, something warm envelops my left hand. I look up and the sight of my brother's warm brown orbs greets me. He smiles to offer comfort before he squeezes my enveloped hand reassuringly.

A grateful smile covers my lips. Palms up, I grasp his hands and squeeze back before turning back to my breakfast and going back to devouring the delicious food, although now in a more reserved manner and more cautious pace.

After consuming my breakfast, I head to the sink and am about to wash the dishes when my brother's hands halt me in my actions. He states, "You'll be late if you'd do that. Let me."

To confirm his words, I look towards the small clock above the kitchen's archway and squeak out in horror. "Oh no!" I exclaim before washing my hands clean, kissing my brother's cheek in gratefulness—to which he promptly wipes the area I just kissed then grumbles petulantly—and hurrying up towards the front door in all of two minutes.

"I'm off! See you later, Yuuki!" I shout, body already half-way outside the threshold.

"Take care!" he responds, half of his sentence muffled by the now closed door.

A tender smile makes its way into my lips before I hurry towards my beloved bicycle.

"Take care, Yumi-chan," our elderly, kind neighbor bids gently as she passes by.

"T-thank you!" I stammer out, partly from surprise and the other from embarrassment for not noticing her earlier. She chuckles softly, reaches her doorstep where her husband has been waiting then they wave at me and enter their home. _Cute_, I think with a grin.

Mounting my transportation vehicle, I say a quick prayer to Maria-sama with added regards to my parents before pedaling off to begin the ride towards my workplace. The wind caresses my face delicately, one of the things I enjoy while riding my bike, as cars pass me by.

I brake at appropriate times but mostly my speed is a bit fast and constant, not wanting to be tardy. _Speaking of tardy_… I glance at my wristwatch and see that I have ten more minutes before my shift starts. _Oh no_…

I look up and notice that the light has turned green so with that, I pedal onwards then notice quite a number of girls dressed in a pleated dark green school uniform with a white collar and tie around its neck, looking elegant as per usual while walking along the sidewalk.

I hum as a smile works its way into my lips. It seems I'm almost there with fifteen minutes to spare.

The well-known school, Lillian Joguaken, is situated across the café I work at. Its students are known to be well-mannered and smart, seeing as it's one of the most prestigious schools in the country. A feeling of sadness settles in my guts as the thought of possibly not being able to finish my studies passes my mind.

Ever since our parents passed on to another life, Yuuki and I work in order to help pay off taxes and stuff to lessen the burden our grandparents now carry. _This wouldn't have to happen if that drunk driver didn't smash into their car_, I think with a scowl as the killer simply gets away with spending a part of his lifetime in prison while my family had to suffer the pain, emotionally and physically, the accident brought for the rest of our lives.

_Stupid people…_

My scowl deepens as dark thoughts now seem to occupy my head.

_Stupid alcohol… This is so unfair!_ I can feel my emotions starting to get the better of me so to avoid a breakdown so early in the morning, I breathe in deeply through my nose before exhaling softly, repeating the process twice before deeming myself calmer now than two minutes ago.

Of course, since I was too preoccupied with my thoughts, I don't notice a sleek black car parking in front of Lillian's gates until it's too late, causing me to crash into its tinted windows face first.

"_Itai_…" I grumble out, silently berating myself for being clumsy in front of other people, as I rub my sore nose to relieve some of the pain from the rather harsh bump.

Suddenly, a gasp rings out and a smooth, concerned voice reaches my ears, "Oh my, are you alright?"

Grumbling to myself, I sit up and jump out of the car's bump, shoes barely making a sound as I touch the ground. I hum slightly, eyes downcast making me see shiny brown shoes that appears brand new, then nod my head.

A hand gently touches my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. _Must be the owner of the hand_. I roll my eyes at myself. _Well, duh, who else could it be?_ Before my thoughts can consume me, the voice asks, "Are you sure?"

_Not really_ is what my mind wants me to say but the pain is slightly ebbing away so instead, I stutter out, "Y-yes."

The doubt coming from the person in front of me is now palpable, and if possible, has doubled. I sigh resignedly in my head. I don't particularly like meeting new people. One, I'm awkward; and two, I'm clumsier than the clumsiest man in Japan which can be attested by the crash I just had. Speaking of crash… I wonder where my bike is…

A cough breaks me from my wonderings as I jolt in surprise. I can feel my face heating up as the feeling of mortification spreads like a wildfire. _Concentrate, Yumi!_ I say to myself before taking in a deep breath to help me calm my nerves and get this over with before I really will be late for work.

I have decided earlier on that my answer will probably be more acceptable—and more sincere—if I make eye contact with whoever this person is. Exhaling, my eyes travel up, catching a slight glimpse of porcelain skin, and are greeted by the sight of Lillian's well-known pleated dark green skirt. I resist the urge to gulp. Sure, she's a Lillian student but she can't be that bad if she went out of her way to see if I were alright, right? _I sure hope so_.

I roll my eyes mentally. Great, I'm talking to myself again. I have got to stop that. Shaking my head and trying in vain to keep anymore embarrassment—God knows I have had enough to last a lifetime—to a minimum, my eyes continue on their journey and notice lean hips supporting a toned stomach up a modest-sized chest that holds a perfectly tied knot.

My blush intensifies as my eyes widen a fraction, gulping from the sudden dryness of my throat. There must be something wrong with me. No, come on, Yumi, concentrate!

Inhaling deeply once more, I skip on ahead, deciding that I would turn to mush if I so much as catch a glimpse of a surely just as elegant neck, only to choke on my breath as my gaze falls on what people would deem perfection.

As the wind whistles, her silky raven-colored hair dances with its tune, framing a face sculpted by gods that could elicit jealousy from anyone she meets. Her brows, though slightly furrowed, are delicate and are only accentuated by her defined nose. Her cheeks so smooth to see, and probably just as smooth to touch, are dusted with a barely there hint of color—most likely from the heat—while her rosy red lips are slanted slightly downwards in a frown; nevertheless, they look kissable, really kissable.

My face burns, making me comparable to a ripe walking tomato, as my thoughts zero in on the beauty's lips. Although, the feature that draws me in the most are the swirls of her beautiful azure orbs. Eyes that house mysteries that my heart itches to uncover; eyes that show emotions her perfect face refuses to project; eyes that clearly portray the loneliness she feels everyday of her life. Eyes that make my heart skip a few beats.

And right now, even though her expression is a mixture of concealed worry and trained aloofness, she is easily the most beautiful person my eyes has ever lain upon.

I swallow hard, trying to moisten my dry throat, before bowing. "I'm fine, thank you for your concern. Have a good day!"

After that, I quickly grab my bike and all but rush across the road, park and lock my bike in place and enter the café, willing myself not to look back.

However, if I did peek back, I would have caught the look of surprise mixed with thoughtfulness on her beautiful face as she stared at my retreating form.

**~;~**

**A/N: Hey you guys. I know you're not thrilled to see me begin another one without finishing the others but I am stuck there right now. I'm sure I'll figure things out but please don't expect it to be too soon.**

**This is unbeta-ed because I'm not sure if Miracles79 would still be willing to do that for me. I won't blame him though, we lost contact. And it may be because I forgot my password for that account. Don't bother telling me about answering the questions they provided because for the life of me, I can't remember the name of my eldest cousin. O.O**

**Anyways, I don't own the franchise at all. If I did, Yumi and Sachiko would have surely gotten together. *shrugs*And, I ask you to be patient with the others; I still have to tap into my muse to provide updates for you guys.**


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